IF, in theatre there is this thing called the magic-if, IF I could design any theatre I wanted, what would it look like? I still have that sketch. And, thank the GodDesS that from that sketch came the room that became the House-That-Love-Built. #VenusTheatre

Tonight Venus Theatre begins rehearsal on woman empowering-script number 56! Script 56 is Jayme Kilburn’s, “Garbage Kids”. It’s the story of Belly and Scuzzy, two throwaway kids who manage to find each other and their way to adulthood. It’s a three person cast. Venus will be working with Jay Hardee for the first time ever, and we’re so excited about that. And I’ll be jumping on stage in the role of Scuzzy. Amy Rhodes will be playing three different characters, all adults as seen through the eyes of Belly and Scuzzy.

IF, in theatre there is this thing called the magic-if, IF I could design any theatre I wanted, what would it look like? I still have that sketch. And, thank the GodDesS that from that sketch came the room that became the House-That-Love-Built. #VenusTheatre

Maybe the reason I love theatrical arts the most is because they are machines of alchemy. We are looking at some dark subject but we are full of light and covered in color. This play, I think, is an honest look at the hurdles and struggles of life on the street for kids. But, even more than that, it’s a celebration of the human spirit. This comes through Jayme’s pen and our creative process. It’s a story that isn’t told with this kind of honesty. At least I’ve never read or seen it.

Jayme Kilburn is the Founding Artistic Director of the Strand Theater Company in Baltimore City. She is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara with a degree in Dramatic Art and Psychology. Jayme recently completed an interdisciplinary Master's degree in Gender and Performance Studies at NYU and is currently working towards her PhD in Performance and Media Arts at Cornell University. Jayme has won two Best Production Awards for her work in the Baltimore Playwright's Festival. She was named one of Broadwayworld.com's 2006 Up and Comers, Broadwayworld.com's 2007 Best of Baltimore Community Theater for Best Direction, and received recognition for the Strand as one of the "top five theaters in Baltimore 2011" from Baltimore Magazine under her leadership. She has received grant funding from the Baltimore Office of Promotions and the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, and Artscape. Jayme has directed One for the Road by Harold Pinter, Real Women Have Curves by Josefina Lopez, In The Blood by Suzan Lori-Parks, The Mai by Marina Carr, The Glory of Living by Rebecca Gilman, Anna Bella Eema by Lisa D'Amour and That Pretty Pretty; or, the Rape Play by Sheila Callaghan. Jayme’s play, Ding! Or Bye Bye Dad recently received its world-premiere at the Venus Theatre in Laurel, MD.

Tonight Venus Theatre begins rehearsal on woman empowering-script number 56! Script 56 is Jayme Kilburn’s, “Garbage Kids”. It’s the story of Belly and Scuzzy, two throwaway kids who manage to find each other and their way to adulthood. It’s a three person cast. Venus will be working with Jay Hardee for the first time ever, and we’re so excited about that. And I’ll be jumping on stage in the role of Scuzzy. Amy Rhodes will be playing three different characters, all adults as seen through the eyes of Belly and Scuzzy.

The Helen Hayes Legacy project was a program I worked for in DC sometime between 2002 and beyond for about five years. The Helen Hayes Legacy Project was under the "umbrella" (a word thrown around quite a bit) of the Helen Hayes Awards. I would go into DC Public Schools and teach theatre. So much of the arts programming was cut that none of these schools had their own theatre programs. Some of these schools were downright dangerous. Some were full of inspiration.